By Nahum Sule (Taraba State Correspondent, in Jalingo)
The Centre for Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities(CAPWD) has distributed free artificial limbs to 424 amputees from different parts of Nigeria.
According to the National President of the Centre, Miss Omotunde Ellen Thompson, the donation of the free artificial limbs to beneficiaries was to enable them to be easily integrated into the society and for them to be able to fend for themselves, instead of being dependent or begging on the streets.
She stated that statistics, according to the United Nations, show that over one billion people, or approximately 15% of the World population live with some form of disability or the other and that in Nigeria, available records show that we are having 30 million PWDs.
Thompson listed the causes of amputation in Nigeria to include: vascular disease, criminal attacks on individuals, birth defects, accidents, leg ulcers, lack of affordable medical treatment, gender violence, man-made disasters, quack doctors, and school bullying.
She also spoke on gender violence against women with disabilities, post-traumatic stress disorder, obstruction of justice for women with disabilities, discrimination, and lack of implementation of the treaties for the welfare of persons with disabilities and how to deal with them.
"The key redress to PSTD is care practices like mindfulness and regular exercise. On the other hand, social support, acceptance, and empathy, are key to helping them for recovery," Thompson stated. NNL.
